Study abroad: School District No. 91 Business Company to open a B.C. offshore school in China

Study abroad

School District No. 91 Business Company to open a B.C. offshore school in China

By Shayna Wiwierski

More Chinese high school students will soon be able to graduate with a British Columbia diploma, all thanks to the School District No. 91 Business Company, which received help from Community Futures Stuart Nechako.

“Our Chinese colleagues would like to build a school that leads to graduation on a British Columbia high school diploma. The students would be taught in English by B.C.-certified teachers, using B.C. curriculum, and following specific legislation under the B.C. School Act,” says Ray LeMoigne, president of School District No. 91 Business Company.

There are currently a number of B.C. offshore schools operating in the world. The schools offer a B.C. graduation diploma which is highly coveted by Chinese students, as it shows that they are qualified to study throughout North America.

The school to be built in Xianghe is planned to open in September 2014, but until then the business company has developed sister schools, where two secondary schools from School District No. 91 are paired with two secondary schools in China – one in Beijing and the other in Xianghe. These sister schools desire to create B.C.-certified offshore schools within their existing Chinese public school facilities.

“Our intent is to offer the program in both centres, starting with Grade 10 in 2012, and then grow the program through the next five years. We have had exchanges of students and teachers go over to China and spend 10 days in their sister school, and are looking forward to reciprocal visits in 2012.”

Because the business company has to operate at an arm’s length from the school district, it cannot use financial grants offered to the district; it has to operate as a separate business (the school district owns the only share of the business company). In order to raise the start-up costs to start the business company and to run the program, Community Futures Stuart Nechako approved a portion of the necessary funds on a loan basis.

“Community Futures has economic development dollars for which we applied and met the criteria. Across five of their centres, they approved the loans for their portion of the start-up financing. We also received financing through Northern Development Initiatives Trust.”

Although the partner schools and soon-to-be B.C. offshore school in China are just beginning, LeMoigne hopes that one day students from British Columbia will take advantage of this opportunity and choose to study a semester abroad.

“They would stay at the schools in China and take B.C. courses, but also pick up on the language and culture and understand what China is all about.” b